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Insurers spent over €1bn on drugs

THE ANNUAL consumption of prescription drugs covered by Slovakia’s public health insurance scheme exceeded 94.4 million packages in 2010, a drop from 95.7 million packages in 2009, the Health Ministry informed the TASR newswire, citing its own statistics.

THE ANNUAL consumption of prescription drugs covered by Slovakia’s public health insurance scheme exceeded 94.4 million packages in 2010, a drop from 95.7 million packages in 2009, the Health Ministry informed the TASR newswire, citing its own statistics.

In total, health insurance companies spent nearly €1.04 billion on drugs in 2010, a drop of about €20 million from the previous year. Expenditures for drugs by health insurers exceeded €1 billion for the first time in 2008, when they totalled €1.008 billion. In 2007 the expenditure was €907 million and in 2006 €882 million.

Health insurers spent the largest amount on drugs to treat cardio-vascular diseases. Last year these cost the public health insurance firms over €206.7 million. Drugs for cancer patients followed, with almost €173.4 million spent. Drugs for treatment of diseases of the central nervous system cost €130.6 million.

The ministry noted the increased amount of unconsumed drugs that people can dispose of in special baskets at pharmacies after they are past their expiry date. People threw away more drugs in 2010 than at any time in the past six years: 97.7 tons.